It was a mild and wild Friday

KMSP, Minneapolis, MN - This Friday started off above the freezing mark at a mild 35°, which was an early indication that this would not be your typical late February day in Minnesota. The first sign that something was out of sync with Mother Nature was the rain that started off this Friday. Officially at the airport in Minneapolis - St. Paul, more than a third of an inch of rain fell, .37" to be exact. Wow, just think , with a 10 to 1 ratio, that could have been 3 inches of snow for your late morning commute. Rumbles of thunder were even heard east of the metro. Then the wind blew in, and those winds were fierce. In parts of south Dakota and Iowa, winds gusts were as high as 60+ mph. It was not only windy but it was warm! The 50s and 60s crept into the Upper Midwest form the south but never made it into Minnesota. However, there were few complaints as temps soared to almost 20 degrees below average. Take a look at the slideshow above for more on the weather events from Friday February 19, 2016.